Journalist Fabrizio Romano has dropped a key update regarding Manchester United's pursuit of an "amazing" manager who Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants at the club.
Man Utd manager latest
Ratcliffe has made an immediate impression at Old Trafford, having become co-owner of the club earlier this year, making some important backroom changes, with the latest being Jason Wilcox coming in from Southampton. The hope is that Dan Ashworth arrives from Newcastle United soon, assuming an agreement is reached by all parties, with the Englishman coming in as sporting director.
Another big decision that Ratcliffe has to make revolves around the manager situation, with Erik ten Hag under pressure to keep his job after an underwhelming season. The Dutchman is far from certain to be sacked at the end of the campaign, but failure to reach the Champions League, which looks highly likely, could give those high up a reason to move him on.
It's fair to say that United have been linked with plenty of managers in recent months, with former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter seen as an option to bring in. Then there's current Seagulls manager Roberto De Zerbi, who has been described as a "genius", working wonders at the Amex Stadium and playing some superb football along the way.
Antonio Conte has also been linked with the job, having picked up lots of Premier League experience with Chelsea in the past, but his more defence-minded brand of football may not go down as well with the supporters.
Romano drops Man Utd manager update
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Romano provided an update on United making Gareth Southgate their next manager. Named as Ratcliffe's top target last month, Romano has now admitted that he is focusing on England duties for the time being, with no contact made at this moment in time.
"For Gareth Southgate, he doesn't even want to have any conversation about his future before the Euros. So, I think the situation is really slow around Southgate. It’s not as concrete as we can see in many media outlets. From what I understand, the situation is still very quiet. Southgate is fully focused on the Euros, and no contact is being made with Manchester United."
In truth, bringing in Southgate as United's next boss would feel like a risk, even though Ratcliffe is believed to want him, rating him highly in the process, with Jude Bellingham also saying of him: "I think Gareth has done an amazing job in easing me in."
There is no doubt that he has done an excellent job in charge of England, guiding them to the final of Euro 2020 and creating a together group of players, but has never proven himself fully at club level, and the size of the Red Devils job is enormous.
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ByHenry JacksonApr 21, 2024
United have to absolutely nail this next decision, assuming Ten Hag is relieved of his duties in the near future, and Southgate is too much of a gamble at this point. The likes of Potter, De Zerbi and Conte have all shown that they can succeed in the Premier League, meaning they represent more sure-fire bets.